CURING BY COMBATING THE CAUSE. 293 



all else the human organism. Not only the 

 toxin of the disease germ but the human or- 

 ganism itself may be dealt with. Diphtheria, 

 for instance, may perhaps be treated causally 

 and the patient cured without any reference 

 whatever to the bacilli and their poison ; this 

 indeed frequently happens in tuberculosis. 

 While Behring would level his weapon only 

 against the diphtheria toxin, Loffler, the dis- 

 coverer of the diphtheria bacilli and till lately 

 a strong supporter of Koch's dogma of " speci- 

 ficity," maintains that diphtheria can perhaps be 

 cured by destroying the poison-forming bacilli. 

 To keep to my introductory figure, it is pos- 

 sible to consider disease as a process which is 

 carried out like movement in an endless chain. 

 Disease may be cured by influencing this uni- 

 form movement in a way which is itself uni- 

 form but of varying intensity. It is possible 

 also, always proceeding with an eye to causa- 

 tion, to aim at breaking the chain apart at dif- 

 ferent points and in that w r ay interrupting the 

 movement. 



If we are dealing with slighter and more 

 local affections upon a micro-biological basis, 

 as for example certain catarrhal or inflam- 

 matory conditions of the eye or the throat, then 

 we are able by suitable water dressing to in- 

 crease locally the natural defensive powers of 



